Dispensing container



Dec. 7, 1948. c. M. LEHMAN DISPENSING CONTAINER- Filed 001;. l, 1945 new.

INVENTOR.

C. M. LEH MAN BY GUAM ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 7, 1948 UNITED S TATYES PATENT O FFICE DisrENs Ne CONTAINER a Chester M. Lehman, St. Louis, Mo. Application October 1, 1945,, Serial No. 619,491

3 Claims. (01. 229-41) This invention relatestodispensing containers,

and more particularly to containers Oi'thctype wherein matches, toothpicks, and, other articles, are to be forcibly removed by hand'from the bottom ofacontainer.

An object isto produce a simplecontainer having yieldable bottom edgesjwhichncrmally confine the contents of the containenwhile providing for successive, or consecutive, forcible removal. of the. articles in the container.

With the foregoing andfother objects in view, the invention comprises the specific combination and arrangement of. details herein. shown, and described to set forth one form of the invention. However, the invention, ext'ehds-to variations and modifications, described by terms of the claims hereuntoappended.

Briefly stated, a highly desirableform of the invention appears in a simple match box containing longl wooden, matches. Without departing from the usual designer the, box. and without adding any inechani ial,,deliverygdevices, I have produced.yieldableelements which normally confine the matches at the bottom of a box, while providing finger-receiving openings between the yieldable elements, so as permit successive forcible removal of thematches.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view-oft match box embodying features of this; invention, showing detachable sections at the front bottom corner of the box. I

Fig. 2 is a view similar, to Fig. 1, showing conditions which-appear when said detachable sections-are removed:

Fig. 3 is a the box.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the outer case.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view, with parts broken away to more clearly show internal details.

In this specific form of the invention, the container is a simple match box comprising an elongated rectangular outer case A made of paper, and a simple rectangular paper drawer B slidable in said case. The shape and dimensions of this case and drawer may conform to any usual type of match box, adapted to be economically manufactured in large quantities. In other words, the present invention does not involve a highly expensive departure irom the usual commercial procedure.

The case A has a front wallB provided with a finger-receiving opening 1 extending upwardly from the extremity of its lower edge. The slidable drawer B has a bottom wall 8 provided with perspective vievvof the ldrawerjof 2 a front edge adjacent to the lower edge of the front wall '5 of the case, and a finger-receiving opening 9 extending rearwardly from the front edge of said bottom wall 8. The finger-receiving openings 1 and 9 register with each other, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2.

When the openings 1 and9 are formed in this manner, the front wall 6 has, yieldable lower margins i0 at opposite sides of its finger-receiving opening 1. It will also be observed that the bottom wall 8 has yieldable front margins Hat opposite sides of its finger-receiving opening 9.

These yieldable margins at opposite sides of the finger-receiving openings 1 and 9 are located adjacent to each other, so as to normally confine the contents of the container, while providingfor successive forcible removal of said con tents in a direction suggested by the arrow [2 in Fig. 5.

The finger-receiving openings 1 and! may be formed in any desired manner; However, in the manufacture of simple paper match boxes, the

case A and drawer B are preferably weakened in outlines suggested by dotted lines t3 and 14 in Fig. 1. The front wall 6 canbe inexpensively weakened by indentations, scoring perforations, or the like, along the line 13; so as to provide a detachable section {5 extending upwardly from its bottom edge. This section Hi can be very readily grasped and removed from the bottom edge; so "as to form the finger-receiving opening 1 which extendsupwardly from the extremity of said bottom edge.

i A similar'condition appears atgthe dotted line in Fig. l, where the detachable section lfiextends rearwardly from the extreme front edge of the bottom wall 8, so as to permit free selective removal in forming the finger-receiving opening 9.

When the invention is employed under conditions wherein a drawer is slidable in an outer case, it is desirable to arrange for predetermined relative positions of the drawer and case, so as to confine the drawer in the case while providing for suitable relative positions of the yieldable elements l0 and II at the front lower corner of the case.

If the invention is employed in a box to be hung from a nail, or the like, the case and drawer are preferably provided with suitable hanger-receiving openings. For example, in Fig. 5 I have shown a hanger in the form of a nail H. The rear wall of the outer case has an opening I 8 which registers with an opening l9 in the rear wall of the drawer when the case and drawer occupy the desirable dispensing positions shown in Fig. 5, where the yieldable margins l and H are adjacent to each other. The nail I I then serves as a hanger for the device, while preventing excessive displacement of the slidable drawer, at the same time maintaining the yieldable margins l0 and H in relative positions adjacent to each other, so as to confine the contents of the container, while permitting forcible removal in the direction of arrow l2 inFig. 5.

I claim:

1. A dispensing box comprising an elongated rectangular paper case, and a rectangular paper drawer slidable in said case, the front wall of said case being provided with a detachable section extending upwardly from the lower edge of said front Wall, said front wall being weakened in a line between said detachable section and the upper portion of the front Wall, so as to permit selective removal of said detachable section, thereby forming a finger-receiving opening which extends upwardly from the bottom edge of said front wall, said drawer having a bottom end wall provided with a front edge adjacent to the lower edge of said front wall of the case, said bottom end wall of the drawer being provided with a detachable section extending rearwardly from its front edge, and a weakened outline for removal thereof, so as to form a finger-receiving opening in the front edge of the bottom of the drawer registering with the opening which extends upwardly from the bottom edge of said front Wall of the case, said bottom and front walls having yieldable edges located adjacent to each other, at opposite sides of their predetermined finger-receiving openings, and contents of the drawer being exposed at said finger-receiving openings for forcible removal between said yieldable edges.

2. A dispensing box for matches and the like comprising an elongated rectangular case made of paper, open at both ends, and having a hangerreceiving opening in the upper portion of its rear wall, and a rectangular paper drawer slidable in said case, the rear wall of said slidable drawer having a. hanger-receiving opening adapted to register with the first mentioned hanger-receiving opening, the front wall of said case being provided with a finger-receiving opening extending upwardly from the lower edge of said front wall,

said drawer having a bottom end wall provided with a front edge adjacent to the lower edge of said front wall of the case, said bottom end wall of the drawer being provided with a. finger-receiving opening extending rearwardly from its front edge and registering with the opening which extends upwardly from the bottom edge of said front wall of the case, said bottom and front walls having yieldable edges located adjacent to each other, at opposite sides of their finger-receiving openings when said hanger-receiving openings register with each other, and contents of the drawer being exposed at said finger-receiving openings for forcible removal between said yieldable edges.

3. A match box comprising an elongated rectangular casemade of paper, open at both ends, and having a hanger-receiving opening in the upper portion of its rear wall, and a rectangular paper drawer slidable in said case, the rear wall of said slidable drawer having a hanger-receiving opening adapted to register with the first mentioned hanger-receiving opening, the front wall of said case being provided with a detachable section extending upwardly from the lower edge of said front wall, said front wall being weakened in a line between said detachable section and the upper portion of the front wall, so as to permit selective removal of said detachable section, thereby forming a, finger-receiving opening which extends upwardly from the bottom edge of said front wall, said drawer having a bottom end wall provided with afront edge adjacent to the lower edge of said front Wall of the case, said bottom end wall of the drawer being provided with a detachable section extending rearwardly from its front edge, and a weakened outline for removal thereof, so as to form a finger-receiving opening in the front, edge of the bottom of the drawer registering with the opening which extends upwardly from the bottom edge of said front wall of the case, said bottom and front walls having yieldable edges located adjacent to each other, at opposite sides of their'predetermined finger-receiving openings when said hanger-receiving openings registerwith each other, and

contents of the drawer being exposed at said finger-receiving openings for forcible removal between said'yieldable edges. 7

CHESTER M. LEHMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Peurrung Feb. 29, 1944 

